Tuesday, July 21, 2015

We followed
India’s cricket fortunes at Bangladesh and now at Zimbabwe – many of us will
follow the domestic circuit too….. Duleep Trophy is a domestic first-class
cricket competition played between teams
representing geographical zones of India [ 5 : South; North; West; East and
Central]. The competition is named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji of Nawanagar
(also known as "Duleep"). East Zone are the current champions.Due to
the packed schedule of domestic and international cricket, the more than half a
century-old Duleep Trophy inter-zonal competition has been given a break for
the first time since its inception by the Cricket Board for the upcoming
season.

Did you follow the India
NewZealand One day Series – the women Cricket.
White Ferns made a spectacular record start to their three-match
Twenty20 International Series at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, India,
stand-in captain Sophie Devine powered the fastest Twenty20 International
half-century in the history of women's cricket.

Sophie Devine
deputising for regular captain Suzie Bates (out with a stomach bug),
smashed half-century off 18 balls en
route to a career-best 22-ball 70, at a strike rate of 318.18. It was Devine's
second T20 International half-century and broke West Indian Deandra Dottin's
fastest T20 International 50 world record, which had stood at 22 balls, set in
2009.

Having got off the mark by
smashing Jhulan Goswami for six over point, Devine's 89-run second-wicket stand
with Amy Satterthwaite (who herself had got off to a flier, and finished on an
unbeaten 39, off 35 balls) was completed in just 4.4 overs, before Devine was
caught off left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad on the third ball of the sixth
over by a stunned Sneh Rana — whose one-over had been brutalised by Devine to
the tune of 32 runs. Having dismissed India for 125 with one ball to spare, the
destructive hitting ensured the White Ferns to an emphatic eight-wicket victory
with 45 balls to spare. Devine blasted five
boundaries and eight sixes.

Devine wears jersey
no. 77 denoting the house address at 77 Woodman Drive, where she grew up. For that interesting extra bit of info : the
Kiwi women’s Cricket team, nicknamed ‘White Ferns, played their first Test
match in 1935, when they lost to England. Since then they have only won two
Tests, once against Australia, and once against South Africa.Their greatest
success in one-day cricket was when they won the 2000 World Cup under captain
Emily Drumm. In a hotly contested final, they scored 184 to narrowly beat
Australia by four runs. The name is derived from the use of the fern as New
Zealand's sporting emblem.

Sophie Frances
Monique Devine (1989) has represented New Zealand in both cricket as the
vice-captain of the New Zealand national women's cricket team (the White
Ferns), and in field hockey as a member of the New Zealand women's national
field hockey team (the Black Sticks Women). Now she is focussing on Cricket. She is known for
not wearing a helmet when batting, a rarity in 21-century cricket [ recall Viv
Richards and Sunil Gavaskar of those days !]

New Zealand women's national
field hockey team, is known as the Black
Sticks – now something more Sophie
started playing cricket and hockey at the age of 4, but initially wanted to be
an All Black!... she grew up playing in boys teams and reportedly was awarded
the bowling 'wicket' for most wickets in the season, a previous winner was
Black Cap Mark Gillespie. At young age, she was also a member of the Wellington
squash academy.

At 15, she was diagnosed
with diabetes – was admitted to hospital and discharged the following day,
played a hockey tournament the following week – now a brand ambassador for
Diabetes afflicted in New Zealand.
Disorders do not hamper some from achieving bigger things – and Sophie
Devine is leaving her imprints in Cricket and Hockey too …